Taliban says it's holding a military dog captive in this video

The Taliban claims to have taken a U.S. military dog captive during a firefight in Afghanistan's Laghman province in late December, although the dog's nationality is being questioned.

A video posted to a Taliban-affiliated website shows a medium-sized brown dog in a black vest and heavy chain leash surrounded by a group of bearded men.

In addition to the canine captive, insurgents in the video boast of stealing weapons from U.S. troops during the raid.

“This dog was very important to the Americans,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told NBC News. ”Once we got this dog, the Americans tried their best to get it back but they did not succeed.”

The U.S.-led International Assistance Security Force did lose a dog during a December operation, Lt. Col. Will Griffin, a spokesman for the international military coalition in Afghanistan, confirmed to NBC News Thursday.

Another military official told NBC News the dog was from a British unit.

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Officials believe this is the first military dog to be taken captive, Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a Pentagon spokesman, told the Washington Post.